The Chambray Shirt: A Man’s Spring Staple

We’re obsessed with chambray. It’s capable of tackling Saturdays at the dive bar just as well as Monday-afternoon meetings. It’s lightweight, which makes wearing long sleeves in the summer bearable. And it looks good – plain and simple.

Contrary to popular belief, chambray does not mean denim. In actuality, it’s simply a lightweight fabric (usually cotton) that uses a colored weaving down and a white weaving across. Typically, the colored weaving is blue – which is why we think of denim – but it doesn’t have to be. Chambray can be allover grey or punched up with checks and stripes. Which drives home the point: it’s versatile. Incredibly so.

Here are three of our favorite ways to wear it:

At the office: Pair grey chambray with a black tie. Undo that top button and throw on a jacket for a lunch meeting.

At the bar: Try chambray on denim. To keep it from straying toward Canadian tuxedo, look for variations with checks or stripes, then cuff those jeans.

On the weekends: With shorts or chinos, style a chambray shirt over a white tee. Keep it untucked, roll up your sleeves, and add Converse.